Beckham County, Oklahoma | |
|---|---|
 Beckham County Courthouse, Sayre, Oklahoma 2015 | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofOklahoma | |
 Oklahoma's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:35°16′N99°41′W / 35.26°N 99.69°W /35.26; -99.69 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Oklahoma |
| Founded | November 16, 1907 |
| Named after | J. C. W. Beckham |
| Seat | Sayre |
| Largest city | Elk City |
| Area | |
• Total | 904 sq mi (2,340 km2) |
| • Land | 902 sq mi (2,340 km2) |
| • Water | 2.1 sq mi (5.4 km2) 0.2% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 22,410 |
| • Density | 24.8/sq mi (9.59/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 3rd |
| Website | beckham |
Beckham County is acounty located on the western border of theU.S. state ofOklahoma. As of the2020 census, the population was 22,410.[1] Itscounty seat isSayre.[2] Founded upon statehood in 1907, Beckham County was named forJ. C. W. Beckham, who wasGovernor of Kentucky[3] and the first popularly elected member of theUnited States Senate fromKentucky. Beckham County comprises the Elk City, OKMicropolitan Statistical Area.
In 1855, the U.S. government leased the western part of the formerly reservedChoctaw andChickasaw Nation lands, which became known as theLeased District. After the Civil War, the two nations were forced to cede the land to the US government under terms of new treaties required because they had been allies of the Confederacy. Under the treaties they were also required to emancipate their slaves and provide them with citizenship in their nations.
In 1869, the former Leased District was designated by the President as theCheyenne and Arapaho Indian Reservation, following their removal from further west. During the 1880s, Texas cattlemen leased grazing land from the Cheyenne and Arapaho.
Under theDawes Act of 1891, the government split up such communal lands, allocating plots to individual households of various tribes. After distribution was made, the government declared any additional lands on the reservation to be "surplus". In 1892, the government opened such surplus land to settlement by non-Indians, attracting numerous European-American settlers and immigrants. The area was designated as County F in the newly createdOklahoma Territory, until it was renamedRoger Mills County.
In 1896,Greer County, Texas was transferred to the Oklahoma Territory and becameGreer County, Oklahoma, following a United States Supreme Court decision in theUnited States v. State of Texas boundary dispute case.At statehood, portions of land from both Roger Mills and Greer County were joined to form Beckham County. Sayre was named as the temporary county seat. A 1908 election after statehood madeSayre, Oklahoma the permanent seat.[3]
In 1910, a piece of southern Beckham County was returned to Greer County, Oklahoma.
The Gannett survey of 1927-1929 found that the true 100th Meridian, the boundary between Texas and western Oklahoma, was 3,800 feet (1,200 m) farther east than previously thought. The US Supreme Court ruled on March 17, 1930 that the strip of land must be returned to Texas, thereby reducing Beckham County's area slightly.[3]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 904 square miles (2,340 km2), of which 902 square miles (2,340 km2) is land and 2.1 square miles (5.4 km2) (0.2%) is water.[4] The county is drained by theNorth Fork of the Red River and its tributaries: the Timber, Sweetwater, and Buffalo creeks. The northwestern part of the county is part of the High Plains. The rest of the county is part of the Gypsum Hills physiographic region.[3]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1910 | 19,699 | — | |
| 1920 | 18,989 | −3.6% | |
| 1930 | 28,991 | 52.7% | |
| 1940 | 22,169 | −23.5% | |
| 1950 | 21,627 | −2.4% | |
| 1960 | 17,782 | −17.8% | |
| 1970 | 15,754 | −11.4% | |
| 1980 | 19,243 | 22.1% | |
| 1990 | 18,812 | −2.2% | |
| 2000 | 19,799 | 5.2% | |
| 2010 | 22,119 | 11.7% | |
| 2020 | 22,410 | 1.3% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[5] 1790-1960[6] 1900-1990[7] 1990-2000[8] 2010[9] | |||
As of the2020 census, the county had a population of 22,410. Of the residents, 24.1% were under the age of 18 and 15.5% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 36.9 years. For every 100 females there were 120.0 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 125.2 males.[10][11]
The racial makeup of the county was 78.2%White, 5.1%Black or African American, 3.8%American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%Asian, 4.8% from some other race, and 7.5% fromtwo or more races.Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 12.0% of the population.[11]
There were 8,034 households in the county, of which 33.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 25.2% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 29.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[10]
There were 10,123 housing units, of which 20.6% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 67.9% were owner-occupied and 32.1% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.1% and the rental vacancy rate was 25.7%.[10]
As of the2010 United States census,[12] there were 22,119 people, 8,163 households, and 5,485 families residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 24.5 people per square mile (9.5 people/km2). There were 9,647 housing units at an average density of 10.7 units per square mile (4.1/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 85%white, 4%black orAfrican American, 2.8%Native American, 0.8%Asian, less than 0.01%Pacific Islander, 4.6% fromother races, and 2.8% from two or more races. Twelve percent of the population wasHispanic orLatino.
In 2010, there were 8,163 households, out of which 34.6% included children under the age of 18, 50.9% weremarried couples living together, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 32.8% were non-families. Individuals living alone accounted for 27.6% of households and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.02. In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.1% under the age of 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 28.1% from 25 to 44, 25.2% from 45 to 64, and 12.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35.4 years. For every 100 females there were 105 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 112 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $45,726, and the median income for a family was $57,316. Males had a median income of $42,470 versus $27,075 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $21,470. More than 12% of families and 15% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 26% of those under age 18 and 14.4% of those age 65 or over.
| Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of May 31, 2023[13] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Number of Voters | Percentage | |||
| Democratic | 2,300 | 20.09% | |||
| Republican | 7,328 | 64.01% | |||
| Others | 1,821 | 15.90% | |||
| Total | 11,449 | 100% | |||
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1908 | 866 | 27.16% | 1,807 | 56.68% | 515 | 16.15% |
| 1912 | 648 | 20.84% | 1,566 | 50.37% | 895 | 28.79% |
| 1916 | 527 | 16.09% | 1,850 | 56.49% | 898 | 27.42% |
| 1920 | 1,755 | 36.99% | 2,347 | 49.46% | 643 | 13.55% |
| 1924 | 1,357 | 30.93% | 2,496 | 56.90% | 534 | 12.17% |
| 1928 | 3,810 | 62.36% | 2,201 | 36.02% | 99 | 1.62% |
| 1932 | 892 | 12.98% | 5,979 | 87.02% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1936 | 1,352 | 19.94% | 5,372 | 79.23% | 56 | 0.83% |
| 1940 | 2,148 | 31.67% | 4,598 | 67.79% | 37 | 0.55% |
| 1944 | 2,034 | 35.96% | 3,608 | 63.78% | 15 | 0.27% |
| 1948 | 1,310 | 22.38% | 4,544 | 77.62% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1952 | 4,504 | 53.14% | 3,972 | 46.86% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 3,194 | 47.28% | 3,561 | 52.72% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 4,258 | 61.01% | 2,721 | 38.99% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1964 | 2,557 | 38.32% | 4,115 | 61.68% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 2,935 | 42.92% | 2,354 | 34.42% | 1,550 | 22.66% |
| 1972 | 4,472 | 71.72% | 1,608 | 25.79% | 155 | 2.49% |
| 1976 | 2,351 | 33.90% | 4,530 | 65.32% | 54 | 0.78% |
| 1980 | 3,637 | 51.13% | 3,298 | 46.37% | 178 | 2.50% |
| 1984 | 5,005 | 65.39% | 2,601 | 33.98% | 48 | 0.63% |
| 1988 | 3,463 | 50.08% | 3,388 | 48.99% | 64 | 0.93% |
| 1992 | 2,913 | 37.25% | 2,947 | 37.69% | 1,960 | 25.06% |
| 1996 | 2,912 | 44.45% | 2,797 | 42.70% | 842 | 12.85% |
| 2000 | 4,067 | 62.26% | 2,408 | 36.86% | 57 | 0.87% |
| 2004 | 5,454 | 73.85% | 1,931 | 26.15% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 2008 | 5,772 | 78.03% | 1,625 | 21.97% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 2012 | 5,508 | 79.54% | 1,417 | 20.46% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 2016 | 6,308 | 83.53% | 960 | 12.71% | 284 | 3.76% |
| 2020 | 6,767 | 85.14% | 1,048 | 13.19% | 133 | 1.67% |
| 2024 | 6,474 | 84.32% | 1,093 | 14.24% | 111 | 1.45% |
The county economy has been based mainly on farming and raising livestock. The major crops have been cotton, wheat, alfalfa, kafir, milo maize, and broomcorn. Mineral industries have occasionally been significant. In the early 20th century, there was some salt production. A limited amount of oil and gas production began in the 1920s.[3]
Oklahoma’s first public library was in Guthrie, Oklahoma. Guthrie and Oklahoma City both opened libraries in 1901. This was the beginning of many libraries being established in Oklahoma.
“Generally, most public libraries in Oklahoma were instigated by women's clubs. In addition, civic leagues, men's clubs, and ministers helped communities to fund and furnish libraries. Initially, small collections of reading material were housed in city halls, courthouses, business establishments such as furniture stores and newspaper offices, and churches until a public library building could be erected. At 1907 statehood Oklahoma had seventeen publicly accessible libraries. The number rose to forty-nine in 1922 to seventy in 1937."[15]
Beckham County has three public libraries: Erick Public Library,Sayre Public Library, andElk City Carnegie Library.
On February 24, Mrs. John Scott, who had accepted chairmanship as president for the Elk City Library Association, held a meeting. The local Presbyterian Church of Elk City had been running a Sunday School library for many years that eventually led to the association being established. The Elk City Carnegie Library originally opened by renting a room in the back of the local bank building. Two hundred and fifty books had been donated, a librarian hired, and the library was able to hold open hours with the assistance of two Association members. Monthly subscriptions covered by local businesses maintained the library. By the second anniversary of the library, the Association requested obtaining a Carnegie building. On October 11, 1915, the new library building was opened through the gift of $10,000 from the Carnegie Corporation. The library has served as “a cultural and educational center."[16] Today, the library continues to serve the community.
School districts include:[17]
The following sites in Beckham County are listed on theNational Register of Historic Places:
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Places adjacent to Beckham County, Oklahoma | |
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Municipalities and communities ofBeckham County, Oklahoma,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| Towns | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
